Syringe construction



June 25, 1929. A. EJSMITH SYRINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet ARTHUR E. SMITH ATT NEY.

June 25, 1929. sMlTH 1,718,602

SYRINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 VII INVENTOR. ARTHUR E. 6714/ T H ATTORNEY.

June 25, 1929.

A. E. SMITH SYRINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 v INVENTOR. ARTHUR E SMITH ATTORNEY.

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PTTi 7 O NN NWNJQWWHU 3 l L 4 5 L 4 Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

SYRINGE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 16, 1928. Serial No. 247,113.

This invention relates to hypodermic syr- 1n 'es.

The general object of my invention is to provide a hypodermic syringe which is adapted to receive an ampule either for ejection of the drug contained in the ampule or for the injection of a substance into the ampule.

Another object of my invention is to provide novel means for readily forming a fluid tight joint between a syringeand an ampule.

A further object of my invention is to provide a syringe having novel means for centering and locking an ampule therein to form a fluid tight seal bet-ween the syringe and the ampule. I

A still further object of my invention is to provide a novel ampule.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfro-m the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a'central yertical section through my syringe showing it in an operative position to expel the contents of an ampule.

' Fig. 2 is a side view of my improved syringe showing a small sized ampule positioned therein.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central vertical section through the centering device and plunger.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1 showing the centering device in an unlocked position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the centering device in a locked position.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a central" vertical section through my syringe showing a modified construction.

Fig. 8 is aview similar to Fig; 1 showing a further modified construction.

Fig." 9 is an enlarged central vertical section of the modified cap shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an elevation of my ampulepsed in the syringe as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing the ampule filled.

Fig.12 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of an end of the ampule shown in Fig. 10, showing'the manner of securing the hypodermic needle thereto.

Fig.13 is-a central vertical section through the stopper used in the ampule shown in Fig. 10, and

Fig. 14'is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing a modified ampule.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters I have indicated my improved syringe generally at 10. This syringe is particularly designed for use with an ampule 11, shown in detail in Fig. 10. The syringe 10 comprises a body portion or barrel 12 having a cross bar 13 adjacent one end which is adapted for engagement by the fingers of an operator. The barrel 12 is internally threaded as indicated at 14 down from the end adjacent the cross bar 13 for approximately one half its length. Elongated apertures 15 are also pro- -ided in the barrel 12.

At the end opposite the cross bar 13 I provide a tip 16 which is provided with a central conical recess which communicates with a reduced aperture 18. The tip 16 may be re movably secured to the barrel 12 in any suitable manner such as by screw threads 19. The end of the syringe barrel 12 opposite the tip 16 is adapted to be closed by a cap 22 shown in detail in Fig. 3. I

The cap 22 includes a plurality of telescopic tubular members 23, 24 and 25 which may be multiplied in number to any desired extent. The cap 22 also includes a plunger rod 26 which extends therethrough from end to end.

The uppermost telescopic member 23 fits within a top piece 27 and may be secured thereto as by a pin 28. The member 23 is provided with screw threads as at 23 for engagement with the screw threads 14 on the syringe barrel 12.. Interposed between the upper end of the telescopic member 23 and the top piece 27 I provide a tension spring 29 which is adapted to engage the plunger rod 26 to frictionally grasp it at all times as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The spring-29 is adapted to be retained in position by a retainer plate 30 which rests on the top of the telescopic member 23.

For normally urging the telescopic members to extended position I provide a coiled spring 31 which is located within these telescopic members and surrounds the plunger rod 26. The lower telescopic member 25 is provided with a head 32 which includes a conical recess 32' and is provided with enlarged oppositely disposed external threaded portions as clearly shown in Figs. 2 4, 5 and 7.

One end of the plunger rod 26 is provided with an enlarged thumb piece 34 and the opposite end of the plunger rod is provided with an enlarged head and a reduced tip 36 which is threaded as at 37 The head includes a conical recess 38 and is adapted to'fit within a'reduced recess 39 adjacent to the apexof the conical recess 34 in the telescopic head 32.

The ampule 11 which I have shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, is shown indetail in Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive. This ampule 11 includes a body portion 40 having a tapered neck 41 and a reduced closed end 42. Within the reduced end 42 and extending therethrough I provide a hypodermic needle 43 which is preferably .sealed in the reduced end of the ampule by material such as metal 44, the fusing point of which is lower than that of glass. Surrounding the tapered neck 41 I rovide a resilient collar 45 which is preferably made of a good grade of rubber.

The end opposite the reduced end 42 is pref erably adapted to be closed by a stopper of sterile gauze 46 and a tightly fitting cap 47' which is preferably made of a gelatinous material. 1 v

Within the ampule adjacent the ta ered neck 41 I provide a stopper 48 which is s own in detail in-Fig. 13. This stopper 48 is preferably made of a good grade of rubber and comprises a body portion 49 having a protruding tip 50extending therefro|n.- At the juncture of the body portion and the tip a groove 51, which is semi-circular in'cross section, is provided so that when the stopper is used as a piston to expel the contents of the ampule'the pressure exerted upon the stopper by the contents of the ampule will cause the lower edg of the stopper to tightly grip the inner side walls of the ampule and prevent any of the contents, in the ampule from passing the stopper. v The end of the stopper opposite the tip 50 is formed concave as at 52 and is provided with a conical boss 53. 'The'concav'ed upper surface 52 of the stopper forms a thin peripheral upper edge to the stopper s'othat when the stopper is used as a piston to draw asunstance into the ampule the upper peripheral edge of the stopper will tightly engage the inner side walls of the ampule body-and maintain good suction qualities.

Within the body 49 of the stopper I provide" a metallic disk 54 which'includes a threaded aperture 55. A recess 56 is provided in the stopper and extends from the upper surface of the con cal boss 53 to a point spaced from the outer surface of the tip 50.

For protecting the needle 43 and for maintaining it in a sterile condition I preferably provide-a cap 57 whiclris shown as filled with a sterile gauze 58. The cap 57 is preferably made of gelatin or glass and is adapted to be maintained in position by frictional engagement with 'the resilient collar 45 onthe tapered neck of the. ampule as clearly shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

This ampule 1.1 is particularly adapted for .pule and the syringe.

containing blood specimens for chemical analysis. To pre are this ampule for use the glass cap 57 an the gauze 58 are removed, the gelatinous cap 47 and the gauze 46 removed and the ampule inserted into the syringe 10. To insert the ampule in the syringe the cap 22 of the syringe is removed and the ampule positioned in the barrel 12 so that the resilient collar 45 of the ampule is positioned in the conical recess 17 of the tip 16 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The cap 22 is then replaced in an operative position in the syringe'barrel 12- and as it is being so positioned the adjacent end of the ampule automatically positions itself in the conical recess 32' of the telescopic head 32, thereby correctly centering the ampule 11 in the syringe barrel.

The ampule 11 may be made in standard sizes of varying length and varying diameters for holding different amounts and when the largest sized ampule is positioned in the syringe 10 the bottom of the upper telescopic member 23 will abut the upper surface of the head 32 when the cap 22 is screwed into the barrel 12. Thus as the head 32 engages the end of the ampule in the barrel 12 it acts as a solid member and forces the resilient collar 45 ofthe ampule into tight engagement with the side walls of the conical recess 17 thereby forming a fluid tight joint between the am- After the ampule 11 is correctly positioned in the barrel 12 by the cap 22 the plunger rod is moved downwardly until it engages the stopper 48. The reduced tip 36 of the plunger rod is then screwed into the screw threaded aperture of the stopper disk 54 until the conical boss 53 of the stop er is positioned in the conical recess 38 of the plunger rodhead 35, thus forming a very substantial connection between the plunger rod and the stopper.

The needle 43 is then inserted in a vein and the plunger rod 26 slowly moved towards the cap 22. As the plunger rod is thus moved it pulls the ampule stopper 48 with it thereby creating a partial vacuum in the am ule 11 which draws the blood from the vein t irough is stopped, the needle extracted from the artery or vein, the plunger rod disconnected from the stopper, the cap 22 disconnected and removed from the barrel 12 and the ampule 11 removed from the syringe.

After the ampule has been removed from the syringe it is preferable to again place the glass cap 57 and gauze 58 over the needle 43 and the gelatinous ca 47 over the opposite end of the ampule as s own in Fig. 11. The ampule may now be put away for future examination of the contents thereof or it may be shipped to a laboratory without fear of the-contents thereof becoming contaminated.

When it is desired to examine specimens of the contents of the ampule 11 the ampule ispre'fera'bly insertedin the syringe 10 as previously described, the plunger rod 26 connected to the stopper 48 and then as the plunger rod is moved towards the tip 16 the stopper 48 acts as a piston to expelthe contents of the ampule to the extent of the amount desired for a test.

By the use of my improved syringe 10 and ampule 11 it will be apparent that in making blood tests thatthe blood does not come into contact with the syringe or with the air, or with any other substance which could cause it to become contaminated, or which it could contaminate. Thus it will be seen that I have provided a very eflicient and sanitary method and means for extracting blood and for handling the blood in testing.

When the ampule 11 is operatively positioned in the syringe 10 the aperture 18 ot the tip 16 does not tightly engage the needle 43 but allows a slight side movement of the needle, thus forming a needle guard which, while it allows slight lateral movement of the needle, does not allow the needle to move sufliciently to break at the juncture of the needle and the reduced end 42 of the ampule, which is the critical point of fracture for the needle.

When a shorter ampule, similar to the ampule 11, as indicated at 60 in Fig. 2, is used in the syringe 10 the telescopic head 32 upon operatively positioning the cap 22 on the barrel 11 willresiliently engage the adjacent end of the ampule and automatically correctly position the ampule 60in thesyringe but will not positively force the resilient collar of the ampule into fluid tight engagement with the tip 16. Thisarrangement is satisfactory when the syringe is being employed to eject the contents of the ampule as the pressure required to eject the'contents of the ampule forces the resilient collar into tight engagement with the side walls of the conical recess 17 and thereby forms a fluid tight joint between the ampule and the syringe;

When it is desired to fill the ampule 60 the telescopic head 32 is given a half turn from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5. As the head 32 is thus turned the screw threaded portions 33 on the head engage the screw threads 14 of the barrel and 'force the resilient collar of the ampule into fluid tight engagement with the side walls of the tip recess 17 and retains the ampule in fluid tight engagement'with the syringe until the threaded portions 33 are released from the threads 14 on the/syringe barrel 12.

In Fig. 7 I have shown my improved syringe 10 as solely adapted for ejecting the contents of an ampule. As here shown the tip 16 is replaced by a tip 62 which is adapted to be removably secured to the syringe barrel shortdistance adjacent its upper portion as I at 66 and its lower portion is smooth.

A hypodermic needle 67 is adapted to be positioned on the reduced end 64. This hypodermic needle includes a hub portion 68 provided with a conical recess 69 which may be threaded as at 70 for a distance adjacent its upper end for ngagement with the threads 66 on the tapered end 64 of the tip 62. \Vhen the hypodermic needle is positioned on the tapered end 64 it is given about a halt turn which forces the smooth tapered portion ot' the reduced end 64 of the tip 62 into tight engagement with the smooth portion of the tapered recess of the needle hub 68, thereby forming a fluid tight joint between the hypodermic needle 67 and the syringe.

The ampule which I have shown used in the syringe 10 in Fig. 7 is indicated at 72 and is similar to the ampule 11 shown in Fig. 1 and previously described, except that it does not include an attached hypodermic needle.

The stopper 7 3 of the ampule. 72 is similar to the stopper 48 of the ampule 11 but inis provided with screwthreads 81 which are adapted to engage the screw threads 14 on the inner surtace of the syringe barrel 12 and may be secured to the top piece 7 9 by a pin 82. The member includes a conical recess 83 having a reduced recess 84 adjacent its apex in which the'head 32 of the plunger rod 26 is adapted to be positioned. The toppiece 19 is provided with a recess 85 into which the end of the barrel 12 is adapted to be positioned when the cap is operatively positioned on the syringe.

Interposed between the end of the member 80 and the underside of the top piece 79 I provide a tension spring 86 similar to the spring 29 in the cap 22 as shown in Fig. 6. This spring 86 is adapted to be maintained in an operative position by a retainer plate 87 which is adapted to be held in place by the end of the member 80.

When an ampule is positioned in" the syringe 10 as previously described and the .cap 78 is operatively-positioned thereon the adjacent end of the ampule automatically positions itself in the conical recess 83 of the.

member 80, thereby correctly positioning the in a reduced closed end 91..

ampule in the barrel 12; When the cap 78 is screwed down onto the ampule it forces the resilient .collar of the ampule tightly into engagementwith the conical recess 17 of the tip 16, thereby forming a fluid tight seal bctwccn the ampule and the syringe.

In Fig. 14 I have shown a modified form of ampule 88 which is similar to the ampule 11. The ampule 88 includes a body portion 89 having a tapered neck 90 which terminates lVithint'ne reduced-end 91 and extending therethrough I provide a hypodermic needle 92 which is sealed in the reduced end of the ampule by a metal'similar to the needle of the ampule l1. Surrounding the tapered neck 90 I provide a resilient collar 93 preferabyanade of a. good grade of rubber. The end "opposite the ta.- pcred neck 90 is constricted as at 94 and formed closed by a bulbous portion 95. For readily removing the bulbous portion 94 from the body 89 I may provide an etched groove 95 at the constriction.

The needle 920i this ampule S8 is preterably covered by a gauze tilled cap 97 similar to the cap 57 of the ampule 11. A stopper 98 similar to the stopper 48 ot' the ampule ll positioned within the ampule body 89 adjacent the tapered neck 90.

To prepare the ampule 88 for use in my improved syringe It) the bulbous portion 95 is broken from the body portion 89 at the constriction 94, the needle cap 97 removtal and the ampule inserted in the syringe as previously described.

' From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have invented an improved syringe and ampule which are adapted for a wide range of uses and which can be economically manufactured.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A syringe comprising a barrel, an ampule in said barrel, a closure for one end of said barrel, said closure including means for removabl y engaging said barrel aml resilient means for engaging one end of said ampule and means to lock said resilient means against longitudinal movement with relation to said barrel.

2. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel, a plunger rod, a centering member, means to urge said center- I ing member to operative position, and means to lock said centering member in operative position at any point within the limit of its movement.

3. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel. a plunger rod, a spring surrounding said plunger rod, a removable cap on said barrel. saidcap including a top piece and a plurality of telescopic elements surrounding said plunger rod, said spring being adapted to normally urge said telescopic elements to an extended position, an ampule, a head carried by the lowermost of said telescopic elements, means on said head to center said ampule, and means on said head coacting with means on said barrel for locking said head in tixed longitudinal relation to said barrel.

4. In an ampule, an elongated hollow body having a tapered integral closed end, a stopper titted in said ampule and movable therein, said stopper comprising a resilient body having its side fitting the inner wall of said ampule, said stopper having a depression in one end thereof, a conical protuberance in said depression, the other end of said stopper having a thin edge to engage said ampule wall and having a protuberance adjacent to said thin edge, a cavity in said stopper, said cavity extending from the said one end to a point spaced from the said other end, and a washer in said stopper, said washer having a threaded aperture in alignment with the cavity.

5. The combination of an ampule having a tapered end. said ampule having a movable stopper fitted therein adjacent to said tapered end, a gauze filling in the other end ot said ampule, a cover over said last mentioned end, a needle on said ampule and means engaging said needle and ampule to hold said needle on said ampule.

6. The combination of an ampule having a tapered end and a cover titted over said tapered end, said ampule having a, movable stopper titted therein adjacent to said tapered end, a gauze filling in the other end of said ampule, a second cover over said last mentioned end, a needle in said ampule, means engaging said needle and ampule to hold said needle in said ampule, a filling ot' gauze in said first cover and surrounding said needle, an elastic band on said ampule on the tapered end thereof, said cover fitting said band to hold said first cover on the ampule.

7. A syringe comprising a barrel, an ampule in said barrel, means to make a fluid tight connection between the ampule and one end of the barrel, a closure including an ampule positioning member freely movable within said barrel, means on said barrel and member to hold said member against said ampule in adjusted position to maintain said fluid tight engagement.

8. A stopper for use in an ampule. said stopper comprising a substantially cylindrical body portion having a protuberance at the front end thereof, said body also having a depression at the rear end thercot. a cavity in said body extending from one end to a point spaced from the other end. a washer in said cavity. said washer having an aperture therein.

In testimonv whereof. I hereunto aflix my signature. I

ARTHUR E. SMITH. 

